Rivers in the spring can be volatile with run off and storms. We get that. The beauty of fishing tail-waters below a dam is consistency. Consistent water temps that improve hatches. Consistent predictable flows to make scheduling trips easy. Well, throw that out the window for the Owyhee this year. Right now she is cranking at 8,100cfs. Yep. you read that correctly. That is 2x the normal-ish Deschutes flow in a river that is a 5x-ish smaller. That puts it in perspective. The folks at the dam that are playing with the buttons say it might be down and fishable in June? But who knows they cranked it up a couple weeks ago. We canceled trips. They dropped it back down, we rescheduled trips and it began to fish. Then they really opened the flood gates. Rollercoaster for sure. Pretty sure she is done for awhile. Turn the page and move on.

Good news, the Deschutes will open top to bottom ( Pelton to Reservation boundary) April 22nd. The section by Maupin is open year round and has been fishing well, but this is the main “ kickoff” to the Deschutes season that we wait for. Early spring trips can be fantastic. If you can’t make the salmon fly hatch, try an early season multi day, or June- July trip. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Quick update, time to unpack the Owyhee camp and get ready for the Deschutes. Contact us for help planning a trip or Central Oregon fishing advice. For updates follow on Insta or the website. See you on the water.

Tight lines,